In the garden – March

By Tim Trudel

With spring just around the corner, a lot of us are looking forward to new plants popping up with blooms. The 150,000 bees that have overwintered in my garden hives are also waiting for spring blooms.

You might wonder what the bees do during winter. Unlike a lot of native bees whose queen is the only bee to overwinter, a honey bee colony will remain active all winter. They will keep themselves warm by forming a tight cluster around the queen.

The temperature inside this cluster is between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit all winter. The bees that are on the outside will move into the middle to warm up and others will take their place on the outer edges of this cluster.

The number of bees in the hive decreases during winter from 50,000 in late summer to 10,000 as spring approaches. The bees get the energy to flex their muscles and generate body heat all winter from the honey that they have stored in the hive during the summer and fall.

It takes one to two pounds of honey per week to keep the hive warm through winter. That is 40 to 50 pounds for each beehive.

In the spring, when the temperature reaches 50 to 55 degrees and the sun is shining, the bees will finally be able to fly from the hive and start looking for blooming plants from which to gather the pollen and nectar that they need to keep the hive alive.

Nectar is the carbohydrate energy source that the bees need. The pollen that they gather is the protein that is required to raise new bees. Each spring is a touch and go situation for the bees. Will the weather warm up and the plants start blooming before the hive runs out of food?

In our area, the main nectar producing plant is the blackberry which blooms in June.

So which plants provide food for the bees in spring before the blackberry blooms? Depending upon the weather during bloom time, the big-leaf maple trees can be an excellent source of nectar and pollen, but if the weather is windy, wet or cold when the blooms appear the bees will not leave the hive, missing that early food source.

Dandelions are also a vital food source because they are early, long-lasting and reliable bloomers. Other shrubs and perennials are good suppliers of pollen and nectar, but their blooming periods are brief and an inopportune stretch of cold or rainy weather can keep the bees from flying, missing another food source.

So how can the home gardener help our pollinators survive? We can start by changing our attitude toward dandelions in our lawns. Waiting to mow your lawn until after that first spring bloom and letting the dandelions grow in the ditches along the road will provide bees with a much-needed early spring food source. Avoiding the use of weed killers and pesticides will also help sustain our bee population.

We can also plant spring blooming trees, shrubs and perennials. Choose perennials with blue, violet, white or yellow flowers, which bees see more readily than red. They should be planted in groups rather than as single plants in a sunny location which is sheltered from the wind if possible.

Try to plant native or non-hybrid varieties as some hybrids are bred for showy disease resistance but are sterile, so although these plants will add beauty to the garden, they will not feed the bees. Check with your supplier and read the plant tag if you are in doubt about your purchase.

March and April blooming trees include California hazelnut, Amelanchier and Pacific dogwood. Although dwarf varieties of fruit trees bloom later in spring, they can also help fill the food gap before the blackberries.

Early blooming perennials providing nectar and pollen include crocus, snowdrop, hellebore, grape hyacinth, winter heath, chives and Oregon grape. Beneficial shrubs blooming later in spring include spirea, nine bark, cornelian cherry witch hazel, pussy willows and mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii).

If you have an undeveloped or wild area in your garden, seeding with a native wildflower mix selected for our area is a great idea. Other native or acclimatized nectar and pollen sources include thimbleberry, snowberry, salal, serviceberry and ocean spray.

Goldenrod – a large sticky and prickly plant – can also be added to a wild area in the garden as an excellent source of nectar from August through fall. Although it was introduced to our area and is considered a weed, goldenrod is not on the Washington State Noxious or Invasive Weed List and bees love it.

For a more complete seasonal list of pollinator friendly plants for our area visit bcfarmsandfood.com or pollinator.org.